THIS WEEKENDThe military firepower of Rules of Engagement
finally managed to upstage the strong legs of three-time box office incumbent
Erin Brockovich for the number one
spot. A trio of other spring newcomers saw results that ranged from moderate
to poor. Three pictures played in more than 3,000 theaters each but only
one entry in the top ten averaged more than $4,000 per site. With so many
films being released each weekend in April, the marketplace continued to
become fragmented with very few breakout hits.

Paramount hit the top of the charts with
its military thriller Rules of Engagement
which opened with $15M according to final
studio figures. Tommy Lee Jones stars as a retired Marine hired to defend
his long-time colleague, played by Samuel L. Jackson, from a government
coverup that aims to blame the soldier for an international rescue operation
gone wrong. The studio backed the $60M film with an expensive print and
advertising budget by launching the pic ultrawide in 3,155 theaters resulting
in a fair, but not stellar, $4,758 average which still led all wide players.

The debut came close to two other Tommy Lee
Jones spring action vehicles - U.S. Marshals
($16.9M opening/$57.8M total) from March 1998 and Volcano
($14.6M/$47.5M) in April 1997. Paramount rejoiced in its first number one
movie since last fall's Double Jeopardy
which coincidentally also starred Jones. But while Rules
of Engagement easily led the box office, its opening muscle
was not as strong as some industry observers had expected. Still, Rules
experienced a solid 44% jump on Saturday over Friday and since it appeals
to an older crowd, moviegoers should continue to show up in the weeks ahead.

After three long weeks at number one, Julia
Roberts settled for the bridesmaid position with Erin
Brockovich which once again boasted one of the smallest declines
in the top ten. The Universal hit eased just 29% to $9.8M and raised its
impressive total to $89.6M. Erin could
reach the $100M mark as early as next weekend making it the first blockbuster
of the new decade. The cleavage-filled legal drama also helped Universal
leapfrog over Miramax to rank third in market share for the year to date.
(For more on the studio rankings, see the Weekly
Rewind column)

DreamWorks' animated adventure film The
Road to El Dorado enjoyed a good hold in its second journey
dropping 29% to $9.1M putting its ten-day tally at $25.1M. With no other
major kids offerings in the marketplace, the golden toon could uncover
a respectable $55M before venturing into the land of sell-through video.

David Duchovny and Minnie Driver snuggled
up into fourth place with the romantic comedy Return
to Me which opened with $7.8M. The MGM/UA release was lovestruck
in 2,007 theaters and averaged a moderate $3,897. Studio distribution head
Larry Gleason noted that Return to Me
played best with adult women with 60% of the audience being female and
the majority being age 35 or older. Gleason also credits last Saturday's
sneak previews and the current lack of romances for the opening turnout.

Dropping 42% in its sophomore term, the college
campus thriller The Skulls grossed
$6.5M pushing its ten-day sum to $20.2M. Universal, which paid $11M plus
P&A costs to distribute, should eventually see a pleasing $33-36M domestic
take.

Warner Bros. tried to cash in on the immense
popularity of pro wrestling but got bodyslammed instead with the poorly-reviewed
comedy Ready to Rumble which opened
with a disappointing $5.3M. Macho men David Arquette and Scott Caan star
as crazed wrestling fans who hunt down their favorite grappler and try
to resurrect his career. The 107-minute commercial for World Championship
Wrestling played very wide in 2,585 locations but delivered a not-so-nitro
$2,034 average. In a move of corporate synergy, Time Warner hoped its healthy
movie studio could help its beleaguered wrestling federation get back on
its feet but fans were simply not ready to rumble.

Jet Li's martial arts action film Romeo
Must Die took it on the chin again crumbling 52% to $4.6M giving
the Warner Bros. release $45.8M to date. Romeo
does, however, have the best selling movie soundtrack in the country. High
Fidelity, the John Cusack record store comedy, dropped a moderate
34% in its sophomore frame to $4.2M. The Buena Vista title should find
its way to $23-25M.

The spring sleeper hit Final
Destination was off just 28% and collected $3.8M pushing its
total to a solid $33.9M. Academy Award favorite American
Beauty rounded out the top ten with $3.3M lifting its cume to
$121.6M. The tragic suburban satire also won the United Kingdom's highest
movie honors by taking home six prestigious BAFTA awards over the weekend
including trophies for best film, actor, and actress.

Sony's new urban drama Black
and White attracted little interest over the weekend opening
with just $2.2M. The $5M James Toback-directed picture about the mixing
of two street cultures in New York City debuted in 1,284 theaters but managed
a weak $1,723 average per site. Black and White's
total gross since its Wednesday launch is a colorless $3M.

Two teen flicks and a space movie fell out
of the top ten over the weekend. After a four-week journey, Buena Vista's
Mission to Mars tumbled 53% in its
fifth frame to $1.6M. The Brian DePalma film has grossed $57M to date and
looks set to touch down with around $60M domestically.

The high school pics Here
on Earth and Whatever it Takes
fell sharply in their third terms and have reached cumes of $9.5M and $8.4M
respectively. Look for the pair of delinquents to reach roughly $11-12M
a piece.

Platforming in New York and Los Angeles over
the weekend, the Oscar-nominated French picture East-West
grossed $56,147 in eight sites for a hot $7,018 average.

Disney's Fantasia
2000 was relatively even with last weekend's $1.3M gross and
boosted its domestic cume to a hearty $40.2M as it nears the end of its
exclusive four-month IMAX run in 54 locations. After closing up shop on
April 30th, the Mouse House plans to launch a traditional 35mm release
in mid-June.

During its time off, Disney is sure to soak
up lots of dollars with its lavish animated feature Dinosaur
which bows nationwide on May 19th. Also on the menu for summer moviegoers
is the sci-fi action film Titan A.E. from
Fox's animation unit which blasts off on June 16th as well as Chicken
Run from DreamWorks which hits cinemas a week later. Studios
will be crossing their fingers during the crowded Toon June as ticket buyers
decide which animated film(s) they find the most appealing.

Compared to projections, Rules
of Engagement opened weaker than my $18M forecast. Return
to Me was very close to my $7M prediction while Ready
to Rumble failed to reach my $8M projection. Erin
Brockovich and The Road to El Dorado
were both on target with my respective forecasts of $10M and $9M. Black
and White opened below my $4M projection.

Take this week's NEW
Reader Survey on Oscar winner Angelina
Jolie. In last week's survey, readers were asked which of five April releases
they were looking forward to the most. Of 2,090 responses, 28% picked U-571,
28% chose American Psycho,
21% selected 28 Days,
14% said Rules of Engagement,
and 9% went with The Flintstones in Viva
Rock Vegas.

Be sure to read the
Weekly Rewind column which reports on the studio
market share race in the first quarter of 2000. This Wednesday's new column
will look at the top April openings. For reviews of American
Psycho and Ready
to Rumble visit The
Chief Report.

The top ten films over
the weekend grossed $69.4M which was up 7% from last year when The
Matrix held onto the top spot with $22.6M,
and up a scant 1% from 1998 when City of
Angels premiered at number one with $15.4M.

Be sure to check back
on Thursday for a complete summary, including projections, for next
weekend when another batch of new releases hits theaters including 28
Days, American
Psycho, and Keeping
the Faith.

This column is updated three times each week
: Thursday (upcoming weekend's summary),
Sunday (post-weekend analysis with
estimates), and Monday night (actuals).
Source : EDI, Exhibitor Relations. Opinions expressed in this column are
those solely of the author.